The plug thread V 2.0
- Thread starter DannoH
- Start date
Well, dog my cats, a new review. A good soul here at PSD thoughtfully wung a nice l’l chunk of G&H’s Bosun Plug my way, and asked that I enjoy and share some thoughts. And so I have… and I shall!
I have consumed a decent amount of the cut plug version of this ‘bacco, but that was long ago and far away, and my memory is not especially reliable there, so I decide to approach this review from the standpoint of ‘it’s all new here’. So, whut we got is a little dessert-like-looking affair of brown and black leaf, in plug form, but not the hard-as-mdf pucks of some of the STG offerings, but firmer and more consolidated than the Pease/CnD offerings. Middling, as it were. Reasonable to slice, and good moisture, not too wet, and can be disassembled as you prefer. I cut it into little flakes, rubbed it out, made cube cuts, ripped it apart with my fingers, and so on, in an effort to prep it in a myriad of ways.
In the bag, two things hit the nose: clove, and dark-fired. Abundant dark-fired. I have referenced epiglottal tingles when I smoke blends with lotssa that stuff, and this is no different. It isn’t unpleasant, but it reminds in a constant sort of way. I also get a whiff of the rancid chocolate note that I find in many of G&H’s offerings, and again, not a bad thing, and it really doesn’t translate in the smoking itself. The clove aroma follows these two: respectfully in the background. It’s very appealing (if you are down with cloves, of course).
To wit:
Nice to prepare, moisture is spot-on for consumption, so into a decent pipe an’ away we goes.
This is not light n’ lively stuff – it is a bit stolid on lightup, and then cloves, some rose, and the dark-fired all arrive at once. And it is thus for the first quarter of a bowl, and then something wonderful happens: it all slips into concert. The experience isn’t rapturous, it doesn’t wander into unexpected taste territories; rather, the overall presentation is thick, slightly creamy, mouth filling tobacco, brined in oily essences. There are some gentle sweet spots that pop up here and there, but virginia lovers will not rejoice, I think. Burley fans could really like this, if the cacophonic toppings don’t drive them off in the first half. Lakeland appreciators should tumble for this, as could anyone with a bit of an adventurous streak. I blew through the sample I received, and 5-6 pipefuls in, I hit a stride with Bosun Plug that was very comfortable – lots of taste, good nicotine, well-behaved in terms of burn…
A lot to like here. I wish it was easier to come by!
I have consumed a decent amount of the cut plug version of this ‘bacco, but that was long ago and far away, and my memory is not especially reliable there, so I decide to approach this review from the standpoint of ‘it’s all new here’. So, whut we got is a little dessert-like-looking affair of brown and black leaf, in plug form, but not the hard-as-mdf pucks of some of the STG offerings, but firmer and more consolidated than the Pease/CnD offerings. Middling, as it were. Reasonable to slice, and good moisture, not too wet, and can be disassembled as you prefer. I cut it into little flakes, rubbed it out, made cube cuts, ripped it apart with my fingers, and so on, in an effort to prep it in a myriad of ways.
In the bag, two things hit the nose: clove, and dark-fired. Abundant dark-fired. I have referenced epiglottal tingles when I smoke blends with lotssa that stuff, and this is no different. It isn’t unpleasant, but it reminds in a constant sort of way. I also get a whiff of the rancid chocolate note that I find in many of G&H’s offerings, and again, not a bad thing, and it really doesn’t translate in the smoking itself. The clove aroma follows these two: respectfully in the background. It’s very appealing (if you are down with cloves, of course).
To wit:
Nice to prepare, moisture is spot-on for consumption, so into a decent pipe an’ away we goes.
This is not light n’ lively stuff – it is a bit stolid on lightup, and then cloves, some rose, and the dark-fired all arrive at once. And it is thus for the first quarter of a bowl, and then something wonderful happens: it all slips into concert. The experience isn’t rapturous, it doesn’t wander into unexpected taste territories; rather, the overall presentation is thick, slightly creamy, mouth filling tobacco, brined in oily essences. There are some gentle sweet spots that pop up here and there, but virginia lovers will not rejoice, I think. Burley fans could really like this, if the cacophonic toppings don’t drive them off in the first half. Lakeland appreciators should tumble for this, as could anyone with a bit of an adventurous streak. I blew through the sample I received, and 5-6 pipefuls in, I hit a stride with Bosun Plug that was very comfortable – lots of taste, good nicotine, well-behaved in terms of burn…
A lot to like here. I wish it was easier to come by!
Great review! Did you notice that it was better or worse in different sized pipes?
Thanks for the insight on the dark fired, the TR description for the plug doesn't mention any dark fired, but the cut plug description does mention the ratios of Virginia and burley and it's presence. I'm assuming the tobacco make-up is probably the same.
Oh, and the bag note is so good!
Thanks for the insight on the dark fired, the TR description for the plug doesn't mention any dark fired, but the cut plug description does mention the ratios of Virginia and burley and it's presence. I'm assuming the tobacco make-up is probably the same.
Oh, and the bag note is so good!
I didn't really, but that may have simply been that I smoked it in 3 straight billiards, all about group 4 in size.
FTFY
Teddy Jeavons
Thickly Settled
Man, I wish I bought-in to the cult when this stuff was all still available! Not much to do at this point other than continue to build a fortress of 3P's tins in my closet. Enjoyed revisiting this thread, Dan. It was an excellent contribution to our little library!
If only I got into pipe smoking a couple years earlier, I would have loved to experience some of the other old school Irish Plugs. Ah well, I'll content myself with Yachtsman for the time being. Next time I'm up in Belfast I may nab some of those Gawith plugs.